The Carolina Panthers are officially embarking on the 2025 off-season after concluding their regular-season engagements with a dramatic overtime victory at the Atlanta Falcons. There is a lot of hard work ahead to get this franchise on sounder footing.
General manager Dan Morgan will assess what went right, what went wrong, and what more is needed to get the Panthers into NFC South title contention. Head coach Dave Canales saw growth in his squad over the second half of 2024. They also have a franchise quarterback on their hands after a remarkable turnaround from Bryce Young.
That allows Morgan extra freedom to focus on other position groups in pursuit of progression. There's also the small matter of what to do with current playing personnel before attention turns to recruitment.
Morgan needs to determine who's worth keeping around, who can be let go ahead of time, and who is free to seek alternative employment when free agency rolls around. Some decisions will be easier than others, but it's all part of the ruthless business at this time of year.
With this in mind, here are 10 Panthers players who probably won't be back in 2025. We'll start with veteran quarterback Andy Dalton.
Carolina Panthers players who won't be back in 2025
Andy Dalton - Carolina Panthers QB
Bryce Young is the future. His dazzling performance in Week 18 confirmed that. Head coach Dave Canales gave him a supreme vote of confidence following the triumph — something the Carolina Panthers are going to build around rather than replace this offseason.
There's just no telling how things would have gone if Andy Dalton hadn't been involved in an unfortunate car accident. He was the starter and Canales trusted him more at the time. That's not the case anymore.
Dalton feels like he can still be a starter. This isn't the strongest quarterback class emerging from the college ranks, so an opportunity to compete for a No. 1 spot could arise in free agency. The Panthers have Young, so there is no need to overpay for a backup.
If Dalton accepts his fate as a mentor and understudy at this late stage of his career, he could get another short-term deal. But his competitive fire suggests a new challenge is on the immediate horizon.